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cancer affect of family
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Cancer...a small unnoticed alien to our bodies, forever evolving, growing and creating havoc in the lives of a worldwide population. An initially shocking diagnosis followed by the fear of treatment, the unknown, often affects the family members as well as patients around the globe. In 2006 my grandmother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer that she discovered while we were on a family vacation. The fear that she must have felt as she kept it hidden from us until she was able to go home and get a proper diagnosis must have been great! I was told a few days after the diagnosis and I immediately became fearful, angry, sad, depressed, and confused. My grandmother was fortunate enough to have good doctors that were able to destroy all of the cancer before it spread too far. My grandmother now leads a normal life with minimal side effects left from the chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I personally have recovered from most of my emotions regarding my grandmother; however my sister, who was younger at the time has not been able to look at my grandmother the same way ever since. We are lucky that our feelings were manageable, but what emotional effects do the patients and their families experience from diagnosis to final outcome?
In the environment that we live in today, America is being subjected to new and dangerous factors that can ultimately cause cancer and potentially harm the health and safety of the population. The barrage of conflicting and confusing reports that are published almost weekly can cause anxiety and fear in people who may never even have cancer, but for those whose diagnosis is real, even the strongest individuals can be brought to their knees with the news. Even though medical procedures are advancing da...
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...c Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
Barraclough, Jennifer. "Cancer and Emotion: A Practical Guide to Psycho-oncology." Cancer and Emotion: A Practical Guide to Psycho-oncology (n.d.): netLibrary. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
Baider, Lea.; Cooper, Cary L.; Kaplan De-Nour, A. "Cancer and the Family." Cancer and the Family (n.d.): netLibrary. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
Hudson, Lois. Telephone interview. 20 Mar. 2011.
Marcy List, et al. "State Anxiety and Cancer-Specific Anxiety in Survivors of Breast Cancer." Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 22.4 (2004): 93-109. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
Edwards, Ben, and Valerie Clarke. "THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF A CANCER DIAGNOSIS ON FAMILIES: THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING AND PATIENTS' ILLNESS CHARACTERISTICS ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY." Psycho-Oncology 13.8 (2004): 562-576. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is a life-altering event. During this time, life is not only difficult for the patient, but also for their loved ones. Families must learn to cope together and to work out the best options for the patient and the rest of the family. Although it may not be fair at times, things may need to be centered on or around the patient no matter what the circumstance. (Abbott, 2003) Sacrifices may have to be made during difficult times. Many factors are involved when dealing with chronic illnesses. Coping with chronic illnesses alter many different emotions for the patients and the loved ones. Many changes occur that are very different and difficult to get used to. (Abbott, 2003) It is not easy for someone to sympathize with you when they haven’t been in the situation themselves. No matter how many books they read or people they talk to, they cannot come close to understanding.
It talks about those who live with terminal cancer and how they learn to deal with it. There is several emotions for all of those who experience it, and there are some similar ones everyone has according to this article. It sounds like it could be accurate, but there is always room for a little bit of doubt. It is done done on .com site, but shares some similarities to other articles and was found google scholar.
Cancer is a deadly disease that millions of people die from a year. Many loved ones are killed with little to no warning affecting families across our world. My family happened to be one that was affected by this atrocious disease. This event changed the way my family members and I viewed cancer.
Almost all of us have heard of a scenario such as this one: A woman battling cancer has lost almost all hope of recovery. She has not been able to turn to her family for support for fear of their reactions to her illness. One morning she finally breaks down and tells her husband about the cancer. Instead of being devastated and turning his back on his wife, the husband supports the wife, every step of the way, and she gradually seems to improve.
I chose to discuss a chronic illness that has actually affected my family, rather than an illness that could affect a patient of mine. My mother-in-law has been diagnosed with cancer multiple times. The first time, was when my husband was 16 years old. She was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer. She was put on a waiting list
In conclusion, cancer is a disease that has impacted millions of people throughout history and the world. With the assistance of medical professionals; early, professional, and accurate diagnosis, treatment, and mental/ emotional support of family members, friends, and doctors, the emotional impact of cancer can become much more bearable.
Cancer. The word by itself can conjure images of severely ill and frail people attached to IV medications and chemotherapy drugs as they cling to life in a hospital bed. Other illustrations and pictures depict unrecognizable, misshaped organs affected by abnormal cells that grow out of control, spread, and invade other parts of the body. Cancer studies show that close to one-half of all men and one-third of all women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer during their lives. Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. As patients are newly diagnosed with their specific type of cancer, whether it be breast, lung, prostate, skin, or blood cancer, etc., each patient has to consider what will happen with their future health care plan and who will be involved in their long journey from treatment to recovery. Once diagnosed, cancer patients become the focal point and the center of all activity in terms of care but cancer not only physically invades the patient’s body and well-being, it goes beyond the patient and significantly affects the emotional stability and support from from their loved ones and caregivers. Based on the insidious nature of cancer and typically late detection of malignant diseases, family members (either spouses, children, parents, other relatives, and friends) often become the patient's main caregiver. These caregivers, also known as informal caregivers, provide the cancer patient with the majority of the support outside of the medical facility or hospital environment and become the primary person to provide various types of assistance. They provide the physical support with bathing and assisting in activities of daily living, they become emotional ...
A cancer diagnosis can significantly change your life and the lives of your family in various ways. Hearing the news “you’ve been diagnosed with cancer” leave patients and their families in a whirlwind of emotions. The initial shock of this diagnosis leaves feelings of sadness, denial, frustration, confusion, fear, anger, and often times the “why me?” feeling. Thoughts start going through your head regarding how this affects yourself, your family, and your everyday life.
She’s been struggling everyday of her life for the past 10 years; battling and fighting this horrible disease has made it hard on her and her family. The cancer has now metastasized, making it difficult for her to take care of everyday responsibilities and participate in daily activities. Her 13-year-old daughter is watching as her mother suffers and becomes brittle and weak.
"My HealtheVet." Coping Skills- Breast Cancer. United States Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d. Web. 7 Apr 2014.
There are over 13.7 million cancer survivors in the US today, and over 1.5 million people will be newly diagnosed this year. Over the last several years that has been substantial progress in cancer treatments resulting in increased life expectancy. While certainly desirable, the dynamic has changed to more people are now living with cancer as a chronic illness. All of these individuals face a series of complex decisions related to their care that include screenings, treatment choices, and the financial challenges of cancer care. Yet less than one third of all people facing cancer receive appropriate counseling and support. A 2008 Institute of Medicine (US) Committee noted that: “The remarkable advances in biomedical care for cancer have not been matched by achievements in providing high-quality care for the psychological and social effects of cancer. Numerous cancer survivors and their caregivers report that cancer care providers did not understand their psychosocial needs, failed to recognize and adequately address depression and other symptoms of stress, were unaware of or did not refer them to available resources, and generally did not consider psychosocial support to be an integral part of quality cancer care.” (Institute of Medicine 2008)
The search was limited to adult oncology populations with the key search terms informal caregiver, burden, strain, cancer, oncology, intervention, randomized controlled trial, systematic review or meta-analysis. A total of fifteen articles were reviewed with nine included in the summary of evidence (Appendix
One of the hardest things my dad had to do was to inform me and my brother about her situation. He sat us both down, put his hands on our shoulders, and carefully explained that my mom was "sick". Sick was an understatement. This disease was life-threatening. It could take a mother away from her children, a wife away from her husband, and a sister away from her siblings. No, my mom was not "sick". She was suffering. There were days where I wasn't allowed to be near my mom. Being a 5 year old, it was hard to understand why things had to be that way. Why can't I see my mom? Why can't I play with her? Why can't I hug her? Although I was young, I could still see my mom in times of
Today, many psychologists feel that psychological therapy can give cancer patients’ a longer life. The first to take this stance was Psychiatrist David Spiegel M.D., of Stanford University School of Medicine, in a 1989 study Spiegel gathered patients once a week to discuss there feelings about the cancer and here they received support from other cancer sufferers. “When Spiegel followed up a decade later, he discovered that patients who had participated in the sessions had survived an average of 18 months longer than those in the control group” (Clay,2000). It is felt that if you can tap into a patients mind and help them deal with the cancer by dealing in the mental aspect of it that it will be beneficial to that patient in the long run. Cancer takes a large toll on your body as well as your mind, so if the physical aspect is challenging, the psychological aspect something that a patient should try to excel at like mind over body. Although many cancer patients use this treatment it is not absolutely sure it will lengthen the life span. But the story of Kip Little will beg to differ. Kip, was a cancer patient who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1986 and was supposed to be dead a decade ago. After, Kip went through her mastectomy; she met a psychologist at the Ontario Cancer Institute and began working with him and other cancer patients . They patients would gather there to talk about their feelings, practice ways of relaxing and find ways to cope with their pain and any other problems. Then in 1990, cancer returned to Kip, and she was given only a short time to live. Instead of physical treatment, Kip used the relaxing techniques and similar exercises for the mind. Using all these techni...
The medical field of oncology is very important to many, if not all Canadians. According to Canadian Cancer Statistics “Almost half of all Canadians (41% of females, and 46% of males) will develop cancer in their lifetime and a quarter of all Canadians are expected to die of the disease.”(Canadian Cancer Society’s Advisory Committee on Cancer Statistics,2013) This makes the advancement of medical care, and the abundance of caregivers in this field very vital in combating this deadly disease. Cancer occurs when cells in the body malfunction and reproduce uncontrollably. It can affect anyone young or old and can be found just about anywhere inside the body and even on the skin. Oncology is defined as the treatment and study of tumors. Cancer